Katie Li (2023)

Having established herself among the nation’s top juniors in recent years, Li continued her outstanding play in 2023 en route to becoming the inaugural MGA Women’s Player of the Year.

After closing out 2022 with a runner-up finish in a playoff at the Dixie Amateur at Palm Aire Country Club in Sarasota, Fla., Li kept her game steady through the winter and finished second in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Annika Invitational and tied sixth in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, S.C.

The top finishes kept Li’s confidence high, knowing that once spring arrived, she could amp up her practice regimen and get ready for a busy final summer before heading to her first year of college at Duke University.

June presented Li with a pair of special opportunities, as she played in the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club as one of 24 AJGA juniors competing alongside LPGA players and represented the United States in Japan for the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.

The quality play continued with Li qualifying for match play in the North & South Women’s Amateur at Pinehurst and winning a match in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. Her final point-receiving event was the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, where she also advanced to match play.

Li’s performances on the national stage earned her 1135 points, a convincing 510 points ahead of Catherine McEvoy of Innis Arden, who advanced to the Round of 16 in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship and finished second and as low amateur at the Women’s Met Open Championship. Aliea Clark of Five Iron Golf (450), Megha Ganne of Liberty National (395), and Ina Kim-Schaad of Deepdale (285) rounded out the top-five.

“All inaugural things are great because it’s a step in the right direction, especially for women’s golf,” says Li. “I was born and raised in the Met Area and it has given me so many great opportunities, so having my name under this award is such an honor.”